Chittoor: Telugu people from Karnataka trying to get back to their homes in Andhra Pradesh were stopped at Nangili here on 27 March. The police prevented around 1,500 people from various parts of the state who left Bengaluru from getting in. District collector Narayana Bharat Gupta and SP S. Senthil Kumar rushed to the spot and tried to convince the people.

The state government had declared that people from other states will not be allowed to enter Andhra amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Anyone who enters the state will be taken to quarantine wards, it had said.

Many techies from various parts of Rayalaseema and Nellore work in Bengaluru, Mysore, and other parts of Karnataka. They visit their homes during the weekend. However, they have been stranded in Karnataka and are now trying to return to their hometowns in AP after the Centre announced a 21-day nation-wide lockdown.

Telugu people employed in domestic work and construction-related activities in Karnataka are also trying to reach their homes in the Chittoor district. But officials have stopped them at the border, creating tension in the border villages.